Living office

PHOTOGRAPHER

INGER MARIE GRINI

LOCATION

OSLO | NORWAY

TEXT

TINA SCHNEIDER-RADING

STYLING

HEGE BARNHOLT

Regular home office workers need space for ideas and a restful environment for their eyes. That’s why Johan Tran’s flat in an old building in Oslo is a perfect marriage of Scandinavian and Japanese designs. The architect from the capital of Norway has opted for light coloured wood and uses ceiling-high sliding doors to divide the floor plan into zones. Kitchen, working and living areas flow into one another – Johan can withdraw to the study or shut out the kitchen chaos for the evening while he relaxes. The refurbished 545 sq. ft. (51 sq. metre) flat meets all the requirements of its style conscious inhabitants. A power place – sensual and simultaneously sober.

‘We played with flexibility. The sliding doors give us the possibility to combine two rooms.’

Integrating working space – with sense and sensitivity

Johan Tran’s flat was a typical, compartmentalised apartment in an old building in the middle of Oslo. He and his girlfriend live together. Both work a lot from home. The designer’s first thought was to gut everything and use ceiling-high sliding doors in the Japanese tradition to create flexible spaces for living, cooking and working. This is how he created a multifunctional space bursting with Nordic Scandi vibes. ‘All we have to do is close the room divider between the office and living room and we can both work in a relaxed way during the day. It also creates a nice and private guest bedroom at night,’ says Tran. Vertical slits have been milled into the sliding doors so that daylight can stream into the living room. ‘If we’d used permanent walls to zone off the study, we wouldn’t have used the space after work.’ When the doors are open, the office becomes one with the living room. The calm colour scheme, green plants and discreet decorations are conducive to concentration – in the workspace and entire apartment. The beech veneer desk that was designed by Tran himself is mounted to the wall to save space. Its drawers keep things tidy. Thanks to the wall mounting, the herringbone hardwood floor is in full view. ‘I like the classic look of the flooring,’ says Tran. ‘What’s more, the pattern breaks up the strict lines.’

Opt for bespoke solutions and be creative

Tran has not only designed the delicate desk in the study but also the dining table in the living room. ‘It’s the standard height to ensure that you can sit in a relaxed position,’ says Tran. ‘But we’ve adapted its width and length to the size of the room.’ The wall shelf is also a perfect fit: not an inch of space is wasted. Tran has some good advice if you want to fit a lot in a small space: ‘Use space maximising solutions as much as possible.’ If you don’t think you’ve got enough know-how to design the furniture yourself, go to a cabinet maker, pick your favourite wood and have the storage space solution or furniture made to measure by a professional – it’s worth the investment.

Create extra storage from every nook and cranny

The room layout is a given in most old apartments. And projecting walls, alcoves and corners could result in dead space. Johan Tran has reclaimed these tiny spaces and come up with effective solutions for every nook and cranny. He’s tucked a washing machine and tumble dryer into the bathroom and fitted a 20 by 10 cm spice shelf into the gap between the fridge and wall. ‘You can straighten up the lines by closing awkward spaces.’ The effect is amazing: everything looks nice and tidy. In addition, Tran relocated the bedroom to the former kitchen. The compact fitted kitchen, study and living room create a far more open and spacious layout.

The sleek material mix exudes calm and creates a holistic ambience

Basic design rule: The smaller the apartment, the more important it is to keep the look calm and spacious. Johan Tran has confined himself to using just a few understated materials in line with Japanese design principles. And he has used them consistently throughout the apartment: the fitted kitchen units, sliding and wardrobe doors, tables and shelves are beech plywood with a natural soap finish. He has added brass details, like the metal band which runs across the dining table and the handles in the kitchen. A pendant light designed by Tom Dixon sets another lustrous highlight in the study. ‘You automatically create a tranquil feeling if you restrict yourself to just a few materials,’ says Tran, explaining his concept. His design ideas are used throughout the apartment: the sliding doors used as partition walls are not the only elements that feature vertical slits. The wall shelf has them too.

Decorative items set visual highlights

Johan Tran has enhanced the tranquil setting with some timeless design classics. He bought the second hand 1960s dining chairs and restored them himself. The daybed by Ole Wanscher dates back to 1949. Soft fabrics counter the harshness of the clean lines, and healthy plants like the monstera in the study improve the room climate because the large leaves create good humidity. •